Mobile and collaborative robots, virtual assembly lines, digital manufacturing. It’s not science fiction, but the fourth industrial revolution. Whether it’s Germany’s Industry 4.0, Made in China 2025, or France’s Creative Industry, the goal is the same—build tomorrow’s factory. The nature of international competition makes it essential to innovate on the assembly line and modernize manufacturing systems to stay in the game.

How to prepare for this transformation?

In an effort to find an answer, we went to Saclay, near Paris. Here, French researchers and manufacturers are developing and testing tomorrow’s industrial technologies in two lab factories.